


Picture.

by kotabear24



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-15
Updated: 2013-02-15
Packaged: 2017-11-29 08:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/684848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotabear24/pseuds/kotabear24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically for this: http://peterpanandlarry.tumblr.com/post/38319153499/kittens-wear-suspenders-fangirlingwithhazza<br/>Louis' mum's worrying that Louis hasn't made any friends. It's true, but Louis asks a stranger for a picture with him to send her so she'll stop worrying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Picture.

Louis sighed as he read his mum’s latest text, fretting over him making friends and fitting in more than fretting over him keeping up with school work and staying on top of his academics.

_Mum, I’m fine, I’m making great friends, I’m having a blast. You worry too much xx_

He sent the message with a small twinge of guilt, never liking lying to his mum, but really, the alternative just wasn’t happening. Telling his mum his roommate was a prick, nobody in his classes had spoken to him yet, and that he was already struggling a bit with his money, so he couldn’t really go out and meet anyone? Louis sighed. He wouldn’t tell his mum that. All of that went back to Stan in late-night phone calls, Stan always struggling not to ask Louis to come back home, struggling to support Louis’ dreams, even if it took him to the other side of the country, struggling not to tear up when he heard the loneliness in Louis’ voice. Stan could take it. Louis’ mum could not.

As Louis waited for the red **Do Not Walk** sign to change to the green man walking, Louis checked his trilling phone and groaned, looking up to the heavens and wondering why his mum cared so much.

_Well, then, send me photos!_

Louis briefly contemplated walking out in front of the oncoming traffic, but decided it wouldn’t be a dramatic enough way to go, anyway. He heard footsteps walking up behind him and turned around, smiling when he realized it was a young man, somewhere around Louis’ age. The young man smiled, showing dimples, and Louis went with his gut.

“Erm, excuse me, this might be a bit awkward, but…would you take a photo with me? Only, my mum’s on my back for a photo with my friends, but I’ve only moved here about two-point-eight seconds ago, and I haven’t met anyone. I just…she worries,” Louis ventured, scratching the back of his neck.

The man looked interested enough, and his face turned grave. “You’re lucky,” he said. “My ‘pretend to be random people’s friend’ cut-off is people who’ve lived in the area for two-point- _nine_ seconds. You caught me at a good time.” He snickered a little, and Louis watched with a dopey grin, because it was sort of pretty. “Sure,” he accepted with good grace and a deep voice. He moved around to Louis’ side, turning and pressing his cheek hard against Louis’ as Louis turned the camera on. Louis and the man both smiled widely, the man acting very familiar with Louis, even in one quick picture. A snapshot, a millisecond, and it felt like Louis was loved deeply by a best friend he’d never known he wanted.

The man moved away, and Louis breathed, “ _Thank you_ , mate, really.” He put the photo into a message and started typing, hesitating when he realized – “Erm, sorry, what’s your name?”

The man grinned and he held out his hand. “Harry Styles, mate. And you are…?”

Louis blushed – just barely, probably not even noticeably – and said, “Erm, Louis. Tomlinson.” The man – Harry Styles – just kept shaking Louis’ hand with a smile, Louis said, “Thank you, again. You’ve – sort of just saved my arse from a single mum with five kids.”

Harry mock-winced and said, “Oooh, so she knows how to handle things.” Louis laughed a little and nodded, and Harry grinned. “Well, here,” he said, pulling out a pen from his bag, slung around his broad shoulder. He pulled Louis’ hand in and wrote a list of digits on Louis’ forearm. “That’s my number,” he said, smiling as he pushed the pen back into his bag. “If you ever need an emergency friend photo. Or, you know. Coffee. Or a tour guide; I’ve lived here all my life. Whatever. Feel free to call.”

The red **Do Not Walk** sign turned to the green man walking with a quiet sound, and Louis looked over at it and then down to his watch. “I should go,” he said quietly, noticing the slightly let-down look that crossed Harry’s face. “But thank you, Harry. I’ll – I’ll call you sometime, yeah?” Harry smiled and nodded, and Louis turned, stepping off the sidewalk to cross the street, looking back at Harry only once he was across the street.

Harry was still there, watching Louis walk with a little smile. Louis smiled back and looked down to his arm as he made his way back to his campus.


End file.
